Terrorism

PDSP to Gonzales accusers: Shut up and apologize

21 October 2007

IF you can’t help, then shut up.

This is the message of the group of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales to Senator Antonio Trillanes and other politicians who made “irresponsible statements” and “wild accusations” against the secretary in connection to the bombing of Glorietta mall in Makati.

Gonzales’ colleagues also demanded apology from the politicians for their statements.

“We demand apology from them. If they could not do anything to help the victims and their families, then they better keep their mouths shut,” lawyer Ramel Muria, general secretary of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, yesterday said.

Muria noted that the irresponsible statements show “the kind of politicians that we have today—people who take advantage of national tragedies and the suffering of the masses to promote their selfish political interests.”

The national security chief himself scoffed at speculations that government is behind the bombing and suggested that they could only come from twisted and evil minds. He has since said the bombing could be a fund-raising operation of Muslim terrorists.

Jesuit priest Father Romeo Intengan, who co-founded PDSP with Gonzales, meanwhile urged the public to keep calm and “ignore the rumor-mongering and feverish conjectures of some people” regarding the Makati tragedy.

Instead, Intengan said, the public should help or allow authorities to identify the authors of the “heinous crime” and their motive. The authorities should be given time to finish their investigation, he added.

“The PDSP condemns the bombing at Glorietta in the strongest possible terms,” Muria said. “We sympathize with the families of the victims. However, we also strongly condemn ill-motivated statements of some political personalities regarding the incident.  This is the time when people should rise above themselves instead of engaging in malicious speculations.”
(30)

PDSP calls for end to armed violence

14 November 2007

CONDEMNING “in the strongest possible terms” the bombing at the House of Representatives, the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas urged all democratic political forces in the country to unite in calling for an end to armed violence in advancing social change.

In a public statement, the party of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales expressed concern that chaos and violence are starting to dominate the political scene as the country aimlessly drifts into the future. The party fears that the Makati blast and the Batasan bombing, which occurred within a month, may encourage forces seeking regime change to use violence towards their end.

Atty. Ramel Muria, PDSP general secretary, noted that the continuing and worsening social crisis makes societal change very imperative and “the failed systems we have today provide opportunities for political short cuts that may be harmful to the common good.”

“Armed violence is not the solution to our lingering crisis. Our social and political leaders must forge consensus for peace and for non-violent resolution of our worsening situation,” Muria stressed.

Jesuit priest Father Romeo Intengan said if the people behind the bombing wanted a regime or system change, their act was reprehensible because “the means used were disproportionately drastic and unfocused.”

“This proclivity to unnecessary violence makes one seriously question the character and direction of the bombers, and strongly hints that they do not have widespread support from the people,” Intengan, one of the founders of PDSP, said.

The priest said the act is most condemnable if the motive is personal political rivalry because it killed and injured innocent people. “Nothing justifies this highly condemnable act, and the bombers will never have the support of the people,” he added.

Intengan described the bombing as the work of “evil minds and ruthless people.”

The PDSP urged authorities to unmask and arrest the perpetrators of the sinister act as soon as possible. It extends sympathy and prayers for the victims and their families and calls upon the people to remain vigilant and to cooperate for the resolution of the tragedy.
(30)

23 January 2008

EMPHASIZING that the best environment for peace talks is when the guns are silent, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said that there should be cessation of hostilities before government hold any negotiation with the National Democratic Front.

Gonzales, who is also chairperson of the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, clarified that government has always been open for the resumption of peace talks with the communist rebels but their leaders have been the ones imposing obstacles to any sincere negotiation by circumventing government’s ceasefire pre-condition.

“We welcome their expressions of desire for peace talks, but if they are sincere in this, they should agree on a ceasefire without any pre-condition. Joma Sision should stop tricking government by pretending to agree to a ceasefire but demanding so many preconditions,” Gonzales said.

The national security chief is referring to the NDF’s position that four “prejudicial questions” be resolved first before the peace negotiations can be resumed. Among these issues is the terrorist listing of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army by the United States, the European council and other governments. NDF wants government to work for the removal of the CPP-NPA’s terrorist tag in the international community.